Noise assessment of multirotor configurations during landing procedures

This study numerically investigates the noise impact of multirotor aerial vehicles with different rotor scales during landing procedures. The operational environments of individual rotors are influenced by rotational speed and wake dynamics, leading to variations in landing noise characteristics. Noise impacts are evaluated across various landing operations from both physical and psychoacoustic perspectives using noise source hemispheres and noise maps. The physical noise impact is quantified using sound exposure level (SEL), while the psychoacoustic impact is assessed through a psychoacoustic annoyance (PA) based on sound quality metrics. Performance contours are established to compare noise impacts alongside other factors, such as energy consumption, landing duration, vehicle attitudes, and safety considerations. The combined effect of noise source strength and landing duration determines SEL, while PA is primarily influenced by acoustic loudness, which follows a similar trend to noise source strength. Consequently, physical and psychoacoustic noise impacts exhibit distinct trends based on the landing operations. This study outlines a process for optimizing landing operations that meet predefined performance goals while minimizing noise impacts. Because operational performance varies significantly across different landing procedures and vehicle types, the study emphasizes the importance of incorporating comprehensive performance criteria in the design of landing operations.